Wednesday, September 28, 2005

THAT WAS THEN

It's not easy being an executive. Poor Harry is learning a hard lesson. Anyone can be a legislator, whether it's on the local, state or Federal level. Lets be honest. The most strenuous thing a legislator has to do is figure out what their constituents want, warm-up their vocal cords and say "Aye" or "Nay".

Some do go beyond the call of duty, no doubt. Those are few and far between.

Now Tax Hike Harry, on the heels of his 6.5% tax hike (plus a 5% water rate increase) wants to raise taxes again. He's calling it a last resort but we all know the penultimate resort is already in the rear view mirror.

How things change.

"Every responsible mayor and county executive that has put forth a tax increase this year has done so only after freezing new hires, proposing layoffs and salary reductions. I would hope our mayor would do the same." - Tax Hike Harry - Troy Record, October 10, 2002

"I didn't achieve the goal I intended, which was a 0 percent tax increase, but like I said before, two is better than 4.5 percent." Tax Hike Harry - Troy Record, November 30, 2001

"Troy taxpayers already pay among the highest taxes in the entire Capital District. The city should not be adding to that burden." - Tax Hike Harry - Troy Record, October 2, 2001

Lets talk salary cuts, Harry.

Jeff Buell, Spokesperson - $39,000

Eliminate the job and let Crawley speak with the press. He doesn't need to be seen doing manual labor for photo ops. Let him earn his keep.

Dave Mitchell, Corporation Counsel - $80,000

How many pay hikes did it take to get this guy up to $80,000? He farms most of the important stuff out to John Bailey anyways. He spends most of his time not responding to FOIL requests. How hard can that be? Knock him down to $50,000.

Dan Crawley, Deputy Mayor - $75,000

At least you only have one Deputy Mayor now. Give him....I'm feeling generous.... $55,000 a year.

There, saved you over $100,000 without breaking a sweat. And damn, it felt good.

We have nothing against our public officials making a decent wage. However, when the average household income in Troy is under $30,000 and you pass your fiscal irresponsibility on to the tax payers, your people should lead by example instead of feathering their nests.

Keep an eye out to see if Tax Hike Harry tries to use some one shots which may include money from the water settlement. At best such a move is a band-aid and fails to address the revenue issues facing Troy.